Port of Virginia Posts its Busiest May

Record cargo volumes are moving across The Port of Virginia and doing so with efficiency as a result of expanded container handling capacity at its two primary container terminals.

In May, the port processed nearly 261,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) making it the busiest May in the port’s history. The month’s strong cargo volumes were a follow-up to the best April in the port’s history, when nearly 246,000 TEUs were processed.

May saw increases across almost all phases of the operation. Container tonnage was up more than 5 percent; total rail volume up more than 4 percent; total barge volume up more than 5 percent; volume at Richmond Marine Terminal up nearly 12 percent; and truck volume was up almost 11 percent.

May Cargo Snapshot:

Total TEUs – 260,894, up 10.1%

Loaded Export TEUs – 88,065, up 3.4%

Loaded Import TEUs – 119,592, up 10.1%

Total Containers – 146,018, up 8.3%

Total Rail Containers – 49,775, up 4.4%

Total Truck Containers – 91,802, up 10.7%

Total Barge Containers – 4,441, up 5.2%

Richmond Barge Containers – 2,752, up 11.6%

On May 31, the port debuted the completed on-dock rail yard at VIG to a select audience of customers, partners, cargo owners and stakeholders. The rail yard now has nearly 20,000 feet of new track and is supported by four cantilever rail-mounted gantry cranes.

The expansion at Norfolk International Terminals is progressing according to schedule. There are 12 new stacks served by 24 new RMGs already in service. Work on phase II of the stack yard expansion (six stacks) began in December 2018 and is nearing completion; work on phase III (six stacks) began this month; and phase IV (six stacks) is set to begin in September.